Find Yourself in Another World at This Utah Escape
We descended into the Mars-like landscape from above, bobbing along to the turbulence from a summer monsoon storm in the seats of a small commercial jet. Our eyes were glued to our tiny windows trying to take in the ever-expanding red and taupe desertscape below.
We’d dreamed of staying at Amangiri—the minimalist, celebrity-visited resort—situated on 600 private acres. We were greeted at the airport in Page, Arizona, by our driver from Amangiri, who was sent to bring us the final 30 minutes (via a BMW 7 Series) into Utah and to the private gate that grants entry to the property. Winding through the vast desert past gorges, mesas and ridges eventually led us to the resort; we had finally arrived at Amangiri.
Before even arriving at the property, you could easily make a case that Amangiri is set against the most gorgeous backdrop of any resort in the world. We were greeted by Audrey Huttert, the general manager, who told us, “A common element at Amans (across the portfolio) is welcoming guests as if they are arriving at their very best friend’s home.” This is exactly how we felt.
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The Resort
On first impression, just climbing the steps to the property, mouth agape, staring at the large rock engrossing the barrier of the pool, we couldn’t help but be in awe of the mixture of clean lined architecture and the messy beauty of mother nature. The panoramic views are used as art in every room—floor-to-ceiling windows in the dining room showcase far off mesas and storm clouds. There’s a beautiful small, wooden yoga platform built into walls from millions of years ago. We had only two days to take all of this in, and I knew within the first few hours that we, like many others, would be booking a return trip before we even left.
The Library
A long, rectangular open library divides the dining area in half with large picture windows to one side and the dreamy pool to the other. There are six oversized concrete fireplaces scarred with soot marks that we imagine get a great deal of use in the cold desert winters. We used the library several times during our trip: once, relaxing and rehydrating after a long hike and the other, playing Yahtzee over a glass of wine.
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Camp Sarika
Walk 15 minutes along a fairly flat trail to Amangari’s sister property, Camp Sarika (a camp only by name). Camp Sarika boasts its own restaurant (where the chef prepared a special dinner complying with our dietary restrictions), separate spa, pool and 10 canvas-topped pavilions, each with their own private plunge pool. We were also assigned our own lifted golf cart for easier freedom of movement on the property.
The Food
Pizza is always part of my food pyramid, and the wood-fired pizza here was outstanding; it included a mouthwatering sauce and a crispy crust with the little black burn marks from being forged at 800 degrees. I didn’t make this trek to tell you about pizza, which we only ate once, but their use of the wood-burning stove across the menu was fantastic. They offered a mesquite-smoked duck salad, fire-roasted romanesco and a 21-day dry-aged duroc pork chop. Our favorite part about the culinary program was the ability to enjoy what we wanted when we wanted it. We had s’mores delivered to our room late at night to cook over our open-fire grill while stargazing.
The Pool
“If you want to jump in the pool at 2 a.m., go ahead; you’re at home,” we were told by employees upon arrival. While we never left our room after 10 p.m., just the thought that we could was such a cool feeling. The pool at Amangiri has made its rounds on social media; any words I could construct to describe it to you would be a poor attempt. Please, instead, just enjoy the photos of what might be the world’s most incredible pool.
The Adventures
They say that great things happen on the other side of fear, and we were destined to find out. We signed up for a “Via Ferrata” adventure, which is a series of iron ropes that assist you in ascending great heights. We remembered Huttert saying, “You can totally disconnect, or on the contrary, you can fully connect.” We chose to connect and clipped into our harnesses. Our guide, JJ, had taken this exact route several thousand times before over the last 10 years, and after a short climb, he determined that we were fit for the rest of the journey. We made the ascent through narrow rock passageways, up a cable ladder and across two cable bridges suspended hundreds of feet above the valley floor. The views from the top of the mesa were worth the climb. Legs shaking, we made our descent, which took much less time. We finally touched down at our starting point, unclipped and removed our helmets and harnesses—we had not just conquered the mountain but also our fears.
The Spa
The Aman Spa at Amangiri is a quiet labyrinth of concrete and water built to replenish both your body and your soul. The complimentary water pavilion offers a stepped plunge pool set against high sandstone cliffs, a private cold plunge pool, a sauna and a steam room. There are five indoor and two outdoor treatment rooms with private showers and changing rooms. We experienced a couple’s massage followed by a private chakra cleansing sound bath in the yoga room and felt like putty when we were finished. They also offer a flotation pavilion, outdoor yoga and Pilates, but that will have to wait until our next visit.
Amangiri
1 Kayenta Rd
Canyon Point, UT 84741
435.675.3999
@aman
Erik Hale is the visionary and publisher behind LOCALE Magazine. He launched the magazine in 2010, wanting to give the community of OC a premiere lifestyle magazine that knew all the native knowledge behind OC. “Six years ago Ashley and I sat at a table scratching the name LOCALE (among some other names) onto a sheet of paper,” says Erik, “coming up with story ideas and basically dreaming. Everything we imagined has happened and we have been blessed with so much more. I am so grateful as we start another year for my family, my two wonderful children, my health, our amazing writers, designers and photographers, our advertising partners and you.”
